Conference Highlights

The first day’s union focus included testimony by both Phil Neuenfeldt, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, and Sonny Hall, President of the Transportation Workers Union and Chairman of the Community Transportation Center, on how their high road workforce and economic development strategies have built their respective “corners” of the labor movement. This was the day that 160 labor representatives and their allies on the nation’s public workforce investment boards had the opportunity for specialized training on their roles and on prospective changes in the authorizing legislation. Greg LeRoy, Executive Director of Good Jobs First, also introduced more than 120 participants to why Smart Growth is in labor’s interest.

On the evening of the conference’s first day, Tom Frank, acclaimed author of “The Conquest of Cool” and “One Market Under God,” attacked and spoofed many of the management and market theories of the New Economy, giving conference participants confidence and ammunition to seek high road ways of building business success and community strength. Frank was so popular that WAI has decided to offer autographed paperback copies of his book "One Market Under God" for $15.00 a copy to conference registrants and others.

The second day’s industry and workplace focus included a joint plenary presentation by Phil Neuenfeldt and Mike Fabishak, Executive Vice-President, Associated General Contractors of Milwaukee, on the benefits to the local construction industry of the joint union-management approach to the training and recruitment needs of the industry. The Wisconsin success story was illuminated further with the presentation of Community Partnership Awards to a variety of Wisconsin labor and management activists in workforce and economic development. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle made a special appearance at lunch. Governor Doyle emphasized the need for state government to reward those businesses that are demonstrating a commitment to stay in Wisconsin by increasing capital investment in the state with public support for the workforce training needs associated with utilization of those new investments. Rich Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer of the national AFL-CIO, also addressed the conference -- praising attendees for the work they do already to pave the high road to economic competitiveness and pledging national AFL-CIO support for these strategies. Trumka also emphasized the importance of retaining a strong manufacturing base for America’s workers, communities, and national defense and urged attendees to join the AFL-CIO in its fight to save our domestic manufacturing industry by participating in the Save American Manufacturing rally in Milwaukee that afternoon.

The third day focused on the interests of the greater community in good jobs and the importance of placing those good jobs close to where people live. Despite the 7 AM starting time, “Breakfast with Community Benefits: Urban Growth with Justice,” featuring John Goldstein, President, Milwaukee County Labor Council; Madeline Janis-Aparicio, Executive Director, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy; Kori Schneider of the Milwaukee Fair Housing Coalition; Pastor Joe Jackson, President, Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH); and Kathleen Mulligan-Hansel of the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future, drew over 200 attendees interested in hearing about a local union/community struggle for Smart Growth, Good Jobs and Affordable Housing. Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director of the Center for Community Change, a national nonprofit that supports low-income community groups, was the conference’s closing plenary speaker. He stressed the importance of labor and community alliances for effective community development and shared his assessment of both the strengths of such alliances and the challenges to their sustained success.

Wednesday was set aside for Special Skills Training sessions offered through a separate registration fee by the Institute on grant-writing, professional development for workplace education practitioners, and a specially-designed session for leaders of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers on how to connect to the public workforce development system. Over 100 people participated in these 3 sessions.

In addition, the Institute debuted the alpha-model of a prospective tool for leaders in the field of workforce and economic development: REGIS-- Regional Economic Graphing and Information System. Throughout the conference, participants investigated this user-friendly, economic research tool that shows wages, employment, and the concentration of industries at the national, state, county, and metropolitan levels. A popular feature of the conference, the Institute surveyed conference REGIS users to inform its further development and marketing plans. Stay tuned!

Another big hit of the conference were the four site visits: two to Harley-Davidson facilities, one to Bradley Tech High School, and one to Park East, the redevelopment project targeted by the Milwaukee union/community alliance for good jobs and affordable housing.

For more information on the workshops, speakers or other events, click here to go to the conference website. Watch this site in the days ahead for photos from this dynamic conference!

Conference Overview | Conference Structure | WAI Home